1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a support element provided to be inserted between a gliding board and a boot retained in a releasable manner on the gliding board in the practice of sports such as skiing, surfing or the like.
The invention is also related to a retention element comprising such a support element.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
In the case of a ski, the boot is maintained on the ski by means of a front retention element and a rear retention element.
Each retention element has a jaw that is movable against the return force of a spring. The jaw is borne by a body, which is itself connected to the ski by a base plate. The jaw is provided to retain an end of the boot, and to release such end in the case of excessive biases.
The boot rests at the front and rear on a support element. The front support element plays a particularly important role.
Indeed, in the case where the front retention element is biased to release the boot, the front portion of the boot then accomplishes a relative movement with respect to the retention element along a lateral direction of the ski.
The prior art has been proposed support elements that have an upper portion movable along a transverse direction to accompany the front of the boot during its lateral release.
Such support elements allow for a better control of the friction between the boot and the ski, to the extent that the friction that delay the release of the boot are located between two movable elements of the support element instead of being located between the boot and the ski.
In some cases, the movement of the support element can modify the intensity of the return force that the spring opposes to the boot release.
Such support elements are described, for example, in the published French Patent Application No. 2 663 856, and in the published European Patent Application No. EP 31 740.
A support element movable with respect to a base about a longitudinal axis is also known from the patent application published as WO 91/09654. Such a support element, according to this document, improves the linkage between the boot and the ski to have a good contact with snow.